So I posted another anti-Obama link on Facebook the other day about how he decided to skip the traditional Memorial Day visit to Arlington National Cemetary saying "Yet another anti-America move by the non-American "president""
So somehow, someone I don't even know, sent me an email.... here's what it said and what has been replied so far:
He said on May 27 at 1:25pm
As anti-American as Reagan? Reagan skipped out four times, and Bush Sr. never once went to Arlington on Memorial Day, vacationing at Kennebunkport instead. Clinton and Bush Jr. went every year. Repost this if you're no longer hyperventilating :-) .
I said on May 27 at 2:14pm
What I said was "...another anti-America move..." Yes, I'm fully aware of who has and hasn't gone...just as I am fully aware that he did in fact go last year. My point isn't that all presidents before him went...my point isn't that they all should always go (even if I think they should)....my point is, its just another way he has slapped America in the face. He has taken America to so many places our forefathers NEVER intended. He is continuing to apologize for things that we ARE NOT and NEVER WILL BE sorry for... he has done everything he can (and still is) to completely change everything that has made this great country what it is--great! He lied to get in the Senate...he lied to become president. He's lied ever since. He misconstrues everything he can to try and convince already ignorant (to the facts) people to believe his way is the ONLY way (think the Healthcare bill that he and his cronies never read)
I get so sick and tired of him getting everything he wants practically handed to him on a silver platter ONLY because he has a Congress that believes government should run everything....when all the facts prove that everything the government touches, ALWAYS goes over budget, ALWAYS loses money and yet they still think its a good idea and we.continue to pay for their bad ideas.
Damn....I need to stop. My hands are getting cramped up typing this on my phone. I'd be more than happy to civilly debate and discuss anything like this you wish...but I will tell you now, I only debate proven facts...so I'm never wrong. ;-) .
He said on May 27 at 2:42pm
I'm glad then that you agree Reagan's absence was an anti-American slap in the face.
Now if by "proven facts" you mean "what I heard on Fox news", you're gonna have to work a little harder than that :-)
For example, "our forefathers NEVER intended". And you know their intent how? You have to admit this line of argument is purely subjective. Your opinion is not "proven fact".
Apologies? Really? Have you seen the text of those statements? Pretty frikken bland. Never once said "I'm sorry".
"he has done everything he can..." Opinion again. You really think his plan is to un-great America? Really-really?
"He lied ... He's lied ever since... He misconstrues ..." Ummm ... he's a politician. This shocks and surprises you? Like all politicians (left, right, center, then, now and future), his job is to sell himself and his policies in the best possible light. This is the direct result of democracy. Take it or leave it. But don't hyperventilate over it.
"I get so sick and tired". Only because you disagree.
"Congress that believes government should run everything". Not really, and you know it.
I am one who enjoys spreading the mayo of truth on the sandwiches of rumor, the BBQ sauce of balance on the luscious delectable baby back ribs of invective. Mmmm ... lunchtime. .
I said on May 29 at 8:25am
"I'm glad then that you agree Reagan's absence was an anti-American slap in the face." I never said that, or implied anything similar.
--As far as what I call "proven facts," they are things I have heard on TV or radio, and I research multiple, independent sources (noy blogs unless they reference/prove their specific sources) to get the true facts.
"For example, "our forefathers NEVER intended". And you know their intent how? You have to admit this line of argument is purely subjective. Your opinion is not "proven fact"."
--My "opinion" is based on what they wrote in the constitution.
"Apologies? Really? Have you seen the text of those statements? Pretty frikken bland. Never once said "I'm sorry"."
--So then, what you're saying is if he doesn't specifically use the words "I'm sorry" or "I apologize" then it's not an apology? Either you're totally (still) drunk on the Obama kool-aid, or you need to do more research. Here, let me help you:
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=obama+apologizes&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql&oq&gs_rfai
""he has done everything he can..." Opinion again. You really think his plan is to un-great America? Really-really?"
--You're right. I'm sure he hasn't done EVERYTHING he can, but you have to admit.... we already knew how liberal he was before he stole the election. We already knew how radical his agenda was (based on his own words and actions--and no, I know he didn't specifically use those words, but his actions prove it.) And since he has come into office, he has done things that are more far left than any other president in history. Especially when it comes to his outrageous, uncontrolled spending of money we don't have!
""He lied ... He's lied ever since... He misconstrues ..." Ummm ... he's a politician. This shocks and surprises you? Like all politicians (left, right, center, then, now and future), his job is to sell himself and his policies in the best possible light. This is the direct result of democracy. Take it or leave it. But don't hyperventilate over it."
--Actually, no, it doesn't suprise me at all. What DOES surprise me, however, is how many people (such as yourself it seems) believe the lies. Perfect example.... One of his biggest supporters, Whoopi Goldberg, actually called him out on one of them. When he ran for Senate, he ran his platform on how he would never raise taxes. However, once he became senator, he voted to raise them every chance he got. Don't believe me? Go research that one.
"I get so sick and tired". Only because you disagree.
--Yep, you're absolutely right. I disagree with damn near everything he says or does. But I will say this. I do agree with him (as do most Americans) that certain things should be different. I wouldn't go as far as saying "out of control" as he does, but sure, things should change. HOWEVER--it is NOT the government's responsibility (or duty) to control such things. Example--telling banks how to do their job. Telling insurance companies how to do their job. Telling ANY business how to do their job--or how to pay (or how NOT to pay) their employees. I believe (yes, my opinion) that it will all come out in the wash. When a company screws over their employees by paying their CEO's huge salaries and huge "performance bonuses" and their company is losing money hand over fist, then eventually either they will finally "get it" and change their policies, or they will go bankrupt. IT IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO TELL THEM HOW TO DO ANYTHING!!! I say, "let 'em fail!" Do you know why GM and Chrysler were going bankrupt/losing money? Because they were building cars that American's were choosing not to buy! So what should they have done? Listen to their potential customers. Find out what kind of cars they want, and make those cars! It's not rocket science!
""Congress that believes government should run everything". Not really, and you know it."
--Really? How do YOU know it's not true? I say actions speak louder than words....and that's exactly what their actions are telling me...at least, that's what (most of) the Democrat's actions are saying. I'm sure you already know, one of the biggest fundamental differences between a liberal (typically a Democrat, but not always) and a conservative (typically a Republican, but not always) is, liberals want more government involvement/"big government" and conservatives want LESS government involvement/"small government."
"I am one who enjoys spreading the mayo of truth on the sandwiches of rumor, the BBQ sauce of balance on the luscious delectable baby back ribs of invective. Mmmm ... lunchtime."
--Ok, so if that's the case, then I can't see you disputing anything I have shown to be a fact.
Oh -- and by the way -- here's one of the biggest lies, or one of the biggest things he has intentionally miscontrued in order to pass his borderline illegal healthcare bill.....He told Americans that without his healthcare bill passing, over 30-million Americans would not be able to get health insurance...especially those who have pre-existing conditions. This is simply not true and YOU know it. It's just like car insurance. If you've been in any at-fault accidents, or have speeding tickets, you're a bigger risk. Does this mean you can't get insurance? Absolutely not! There are several insurance companies that will insure you, but you will pay a higher price than most others because you are a bigger risk. So then, is it "fair" that you pay more for your insurance than someone that doesn't have any at-fault accidents or speeding tickets? It's absolutely fair! Your history shows that the insurance company will end up having to pay out more money for claims because of your wreckless behaviour. And the same can be said that even if you have cancer or a heart condition or high blood pressure, you can still find health insurance that will cover you--albeit at a higher premium. Just because (at least in some cases) it's not your fault that your health is what it is, meaning you can always have eaten right, exercised, not drank or smoked but yet you still have HPB or cancer or heart disease, doesn't mean that you shouldn't have to pay higher premiums. Your tests and procedures will end up costing the insurance more money...usually a lot more than you're paying into them in the first place. Is that fair? Yes. Just because HIS "opinion" isn't that it's fair, doesn't mean that he gets his way and FORCES insurance companies to not accept people because of their "pre-existing conditions."
And while I'm on the subject, here's what I and most other American's believe truly isn't right, and is bordering on illegal (which will be tested by at least 13 states.) Why should someone such as myself, who is self-employed so I don't have a job that supplies me with insurance, why should I be FORCED to buy insurance? And then if I don't, I will face fines and possible imprisonment? That's not a matter of being "fair" it's a matter of being right or wrong. The government has no right to tell me that I HAVE to buy health insurance. It's not like car insurance where you have to at least have coverage to cover the OTHER person should you be at-fault and crash into them, you still don't have to buy insurance to cover yourself...just them. So why, then, should I be forced to buy health insurance to cover me? It's my CHOICE whether or not I buy it. I have had the choice for however many number of years. I have chosen not to. Sure, it's a gamble, I could get really sick and end up hospitalized and rack up a huge bill, but you know what? THAT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY IT!!! If the government doesn't want people to be able to dismiss their hospital bills in bankruptcy, then they shouldn't have allowed it in the first place!
Ok, I'm done for now. I'd like to hear your thoughts on all this.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A response with no response
Ok, so I have thrown down the challenge before to anyone that has different views from mine, and wants to have an intelligent, political conversation without belittling anyone or trying to hold on to one's opinion vs. real, undeniable facts. So one person on Facebook actually responded to the challenge. However, she's not responding back. Not sure why though. At first I thought maybe it was because she never got on. But I've seen her on several times now, responding to different posts or adding comments to profiles, and there's no answer to my email. So, I figured I'd go ahead and post it here since it was rather long.
Basically what happened is this. One of my friends said something on her own profile, and between her friend and me, we got into a heated discussion on her status. So I offered for her to add me and we could discuss. This is the collection of emails that have transpired....what do you think?
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(This is my original email a while after I added her and never heard anything from her as far as comments on my profile or to my "anti-Obama / anti-'big government'" status updates.)
Me:
December 8, 2009 at 3:44pm
I've been waiting to see if you have anything to say about any of my Obama status updates, or the links / notes I've posted.
And let me just say this... I'm sure you and I are probably on the same side of this in saying that neither of us would really care to get into a so-called "screaming match" over politics, but instead, to have a good, well-informed, educated debate over how things are handled.
Sound about right?
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Me:
December 17, 2009 at 3:00pm
Do you not get on much?
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Her:
December 20, 2009 at 11:40pm
Okay. I do get on here, multiple times a day. The reason I have not responded is three-fold. First off, you say you would like to have a civil discussion about how our country is operated but your posts do not reflect that feeling. "OH MY GOD CHANGE YOUR TIRES GLOBAL WARMING", etc. does not make anyone who believes differently than you feel as though you can have a reasonable, fact based conversation about the issue. You haven't even met them and you're all ready yelling. Second, I find it incredibly arrogant and egocentric to assume that you will shout your beliefs from the hilltop in such an insulting and myopic way so that others may comment. That is not a conversation; it's dictation. Thirdly, I simply do not believe in placing personal enrichment over the health and welfare of people. Conservative policy, voting, and personal behavior seem at odds with this idea. I think that is a core value that cannot be changed and you do not seem to believe that is the case. As long as you continue to be inflammatory and disrespectful to those who do not share your thoughts, there's no point in responding.
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Me:
December 21, 2009 at 1:30am
Well let me start off with your 3rd comment about putting "personal enrichment" ahead of people's health. That one statement tells me that you believe what the Democrats say when they have been trying to paint the health insurance industry with a broad brush and say that they are only in business to make money and reap huge profits and that they place their own pockets ahead of the very people that they insure. Is that correct? Because if it is, that's not a very smart way of doing business. In fact, doing so would work completely against that thought, and would force you out of business, because if you keep your clients healthy, they make you more money by staying good paying clients. However, if you drop all the sick ones, you will never get new well ones to sign up, because they would be too afraid that if, God forbid, they were to get sick they would be afraid you'd drop them. But that is exactly what's the Democratic party has said all along. They have made it sound as if you get sick that any and all insurance companies will immediately drop you...and that's just not the case. I can give you a personal example...I have had back surgery and nasal / throat surgery...I have no problem finding coverage for me. My wife AND my ex-wife have both had two C-sections and neither of them have problems finding coverage...this includes standard everyday coverage, not higher priced "high risk" coverage.
Oh...and don't forget...like ALL insurance companies, they don't make money by taking your tiny monthly payment and refusing all your claims like the Democrats want you to believe. No, they pool everyone's money together and invest it...then they make money off of their investments. That's how they can pay for your emergency open heart surgery that cost more than your house when you've only been insured with them for barely 3 months! (No, it doesn't work EXACTLY like that, but that's the basic premise.)
Now as far as my "all caps rants" I guess you could call them, yeah, that's my immediate, personal reaction. It pisses me off when Obama comes out and flat out lies, or when he makes something sound so freakin' dire with his "we have to do this right this very second or else the world will blow up" type scare tactics. He did it with the stimulus saying if "we" passed his stimulus package RIGHT NOW that unemployment would not go above 8%. And what's happened since? Its gone higher and higher every month since! Nothing positive that I have seen as far as unemployment numbers, because ever since passing that huge, expensive flop of a bill that has supposedly "saved or created" a million jobs (his words) no, wait....make that 600,000 jobs (his corrections only AFTER being caught in more lies) unemployment has done nothing but go UP. (And just for the record, I was against ALL bailouts and stimulus packages--even Bush's)
Just like the Cash-For-Clunkers flop. Are you kidding me? I am business owner and I could have told you how bad it was gonna flop! Sure, the numbers looked good on paper when for a few short months people bought cars and car dealerships were busy, but what has happened since? NOTHING! And that's the problem! It gave people who believed in him and this pathetic excuse of "hope," a false sense of that hope. Its just like if you had NO job but you had bills, and someone gave you enough money to pay your bills for lets just say one month. Ok, well that's nice and all, but what you REALLY need isn't the money, its a JOB! So, what happens that very next month when you don't have a job? All that money did was buy you a one month extension. You still don't have a job, so what's about all of THIS month's bills? Without a job, how are they gonna get paid? You see what I'm getting at? A bandaid put on a gushing wound isn't gonna do any good. You've got to stop the bleeding. Find the source. Its not gonna be found in this multi-trillion dollar healthcare bill they keep spending time on. And that brings me to my main point. Apparently Obama really doesn't care about the American people. Yes, that's my opinion but its based on the FACTS that every single poll shows his approval ratings are slipping. He has the lowest approval ratings of every other president in the history of approval ratings being polled. And why is that? Well, go to the other polls. In every other democracy, the majority is /supposed/ to rule, right? Ok then, tell me why it is, this president apparently thinks he knows what Americans want more than Americans themselves say they want. Meaning, EVERY poll that asks if they want government run healthcare ALL have the majority saying NO. and EVERY poll that asks what's more important to America right now--fixing the economy or healthcare reform? Fixing the economy wins out every single time! And finally they ask if America is heading in the right direction and overwhelmingly they all say no, we're not. I just don't get it! I really don't.
I may get pissed off with my reactions, but I am reacting to facts! I'm not against healthcare reform, but I am against the lies the Democrats tell in order to try and well their uber-expensive poisonous healthcare plan to the unknowing American people. And I am against the fact that the senators that vote on these bills (yes OR no) have NEVER read any of the pages of the bills! And I am against senators that are totally against the healthcare bill until they get bribed or bought off by $300 BILLION in extra stuff just for their state THAT MY TAXES (AND YOURS) WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR.
Now despite some of my ALL CAPS emphasis or personal remarks about proven facts, can you honestly say you believe in this? That you believe everything the Democrats say? That you believe a government run health plan, that WILL ultimately put private insurance companies out of business (proven by the CBO and many other non-partisan groups) AND will fine and eventually imprison anyone that flat-out refuses to get put on government MANDATED health insurance? Is that really what you want for America?
Hopefully (and I mean this sincerely) you wont fins this to be "too opinionated" or anything like that and simply ignore it and not respond and / or remove me. I have tried to keep my personal expressions to a minimum and focus on the facts as you are, so far, the ONLY person that has accepted my request to discuss differences. I have had this request, or this "challenge" out to anyone who would be willing to respond since before the election. I hope we BOTH can use this as back positive learning experience.
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And as of this moment, I still don't have a response from her, and I doubt I ever will. I wrote this very last entry on December 21st, 2009. I'd say she either is being a typical liberal and refuses to either admit facts or doesn't like it when they're proven wrong.... I dunno. Regardless, I'm still waiting to hear from anyone that has a different view.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
A job well suited
As most of you should know by now, I am self-employed. This came about in late 2006 when the company I was working for at the time was "reorganizing"...and as we all know, that typically means layoff's. As I figured there would be a chance of that, happening to me, I decided to ramp up my efforts to advertise my own computer service company that I had been doing for years already, just not as much as I needed to in order to be successful with it being my only source of income to support my family.
So I made business cards, fliers, posted up "bandit signs" on the side of the road to try to drum up business. All the while, there was things happening at Siemens (where I was working at the time) that things were starting to change a lot faster. Knowing this, and knowing that my job was probably on the line at some point in the future, I had made my own plans to leave the company at the end of 2006, and work my own business full time. However, Siemens had other plans and laid me off at the end of September--a full three months sooner than I had expected. It wasn't the best for me, but at least I had expected it and things were already in motion to keep me afloat.
Now I say all that to say this: A few weeks ago, my beautiful wife and I went to dinner at The Olive Garden. There, we ran into one of my co-workers from my Siemens days. There it was almost three years later and we both still recognized each other and remembered each other's names. Anyway, I introduced Brian Johnson to Nicole and he introduced us to his wife. We stood there for a few minutes briefly catching up, but his face quickly changed to a distressed look when I asked about how things were going at Siemens and if certain people were still there.
He began explaining how since I had left, the company had let go of many people. He said how they actually had to train people from Bulgaria how to use and support the Xpressions voicemail system that I worked with, and how after several weeks of training them there, that they then had to go to Bulgaria and transition the support to there... so basically, they just trained their replacements. Brian continued saying how they had gone from a team of about 18 technicians down to six and how they were continuing to run on a very thin staff now.
So, despite the fact that originally I could have seen myself staying there for a lot longer, I ended up in a much better position working for myself. I mean, sure there have been some pretty stressful times, but at the same time, I have been much happier, I am spending significantly more time with my family, I'm able to do more things with them rather than just hearing about it after they went without me, I'm making more money than I ever have with any other job, except since the recession hit, it's dropped quite a bit, but I'm not complaining because I STILL HAVE A JOB THAT I CAN'T GET LET GO FROM!!! :-)
So all in all, it was all for the best. Sure it hurt at first. It was very scary being forced into something when I didn't know what to expect, or when it would all come crashing down on me. But looking back on it, I would never change any of it! I am glad I am where I am today!
So I made business cards, fliers, posted up "bandit signs" on the side of the road to try to drum up business. All the while, there was things happening at Siemens (where I was working at the time) that things were starting to change a lot faster. Knowing this, and knowing that my job was probably on the line at some point in the future, I had made my own plans to leave the company at the end of 2006, and work my own business full time. However, Siemens had other plans and laid me off at the end of September--a full three months sooner than I had expected. It wasn't the best for me, but at least I had expected it and things were already in motion to keep me afloat.
Now I say all that to say this: A few weeks ago, my beautiful wife and I went to dinner at The Olive Garden. There, we ran into one of my co-workers from my Siemens days. There it was almost three years later and we both still recognized each other and remembered each other's names. Anyway, I introduced Brian Johnson to Nicole and he introduced us to his wife. We stood there for a few minutes briefly catching up, but his face quickly changed to a distressed look when I asked about how things were going at Siemens and if certain people were still there.
He began explaining how since I had left, the company had let go of many people. He said how they actually had to train people from Bulgaria how to use and support the Xpressions voicemail system that I worked with, and how after several weeks of training them there, that they then had to go to Bulgaria and transition the support to there... so basically, they just trained their replacements. Brian continued saying how they had gone from a team of about 18 technicians down to six and how they were continuing to run on a very thin staff now.
So, despite the fact that originally I could have seen myself staying there for a lot longer, I ended up in a much better position working for myself. I mean, sure there have been some pretty stressful times, but at the same time, I have been much happier, I am spending significantly more time with my family, I'm able to do more things with them rather than just hearing about it after they went without me, I'm making more money than I ever have with any other job, except since the recession hit, it's dropped quite a bit, but I'm not complaining because I STILL HAVE A JOB THAT I CAN'T GET LET GO FROM!!! :-)
So all in all, it was all for the best. Sure it hurt at first. It was very scary being forced into something when I didn't know what to expect, or when it would all come crashing down on me. But looking back on it, I would never change any of it! I am glad I am where I am today!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Home Shield Homeowner Hassles and Headaches
I have been trying to get the loan modified for the last several months. Part of the conditions of the mod was for us to get our own insurance (long story on why we didn't in the first place.) ANYWAY, so we did our part and faxed everything to everyone at Homecomings we were supposed to do in order for it to be escrowed.
A month later, we get a bill saying that they never paid. So I called Homecomings and asked why they hadn't paid yet, and they said that sometimes it will take a while and to not worry about it that they would pay for it.
Another month later, we get a cancellation BILL saying our insurance was cancelled for non-payment AND that WE owed $500 for the coverage they gave us. I called Homecomings, and they said that we were never setup for escrow!!! WHY THE HELL NOT??? WE DID OUR PART, WHY DIDN'T YOU DO YOURS?!?!?
PLUS, of all the calls I've had for the last several months, I have gotten absolutely NOWHERE with them, I've been "disconnected" (read "hung up on") countless times because apparently NONE of the idiots that work there know how to use their phones!!! And, the insurance department says I need to talk to customer service. Customer service says I need to talk to Loan Modification. Loan Modification says I need to Loss Mitigation. Loss Mitigation says I need to talk to the insurance department. And I keep going in circles with every single person I talk to there! SO I AM GETTING NOWHERE WITH EVERY SINGLE PHONE CALL!!!!
Now as far as Home Shield goes, I called them out to come fix a leak in our duct work. First off, this is a Fox & Jacobs house (aka a "Fox Box") and they don't have typical a/c ducts. Most houses have what's called "Flex Duct"...but not ours! Ours is called "Duct Board" and it's square, non-flexible duct that's completely enclosed. So 35 years later when the duct work gets leaks, how do you fix it? You can't get to it from the attic because it's built below the joists. You can't get to it from the ceiling because it's above the sheet rock. So the only thing you can do is to cut down the ceiling...this is called "getting access" in Home Shield's terms. Ok, so half the idiots they send out say that Home Shield doesn't cover "making access" that we, the home owner, is supposed to make the access for them ourselves. Well, I have verified with NUMEROUS Home Shield people to know, for a fact, that they will pay whomever to get access. I don't care who it is or how they do it, Home Shield WILL PAY FOR ACCESS!!!
So, now they have sent out FOUR DIFFERENT COMPANIES, all of which say "we don't make access." So Home Shield still hasn't sent out the right company that will make the access. I swear, I'm about to rip down my ceiling myself and then they can put it back.
On top of that, TWO of the four companies have owners that have been EXTREMELY unprofessional or flat-out RUDE. The 2nd company they sent out, no wait... the THIRD company they sent out came out to make a quote for access... They came out over 2 weeks ago on Sunday. He was supposed to call Home Shield with his quote on how much it would cost and when I called him on Wednesday (three days after they came out) he told me it would be Friday. Friday comes around and he hasn't called. I called Home Shield on Monday and they said that he hadn't called them yet. So I called him and he told me "to be honest Mr. Weatherford, I put you on the 'back burner' but I will call them today." EXCUSE ME??? YOU DID WHAT??? I DON'T THINK SO!!!!
I don't care who you are -- YOU NEVER TELL A CUSTOMER YOU "PUT THEM ON THE BACK BURNER" !!!!!! So I called HS and told them DO NOT send that company to my house... they are NOT going to do ANY work on my house EVER.
Ok, well, they didn't seem to care too much, but they sent out yet another company. That other company came out, and yet again, said "we don't do this, we have someone else that makes access." Well, no kidding!!! I told Home Shield NOT to send out another A/C tech because they all tell me the same thing!!! So then this company calls me back and said they are going to send out their lead tech to have him come out and see what needs to be done to make access. Ok, fine. You want to come see what needs to be done? Fine... come out here at 8am and SEE what you need to do.Well, around here, 8am everyone is asleep. So the guy comes out here this morning (trying to come out at 7:30, which is before 8am) and he tries to tell me that he's going to make access and see what needs to be done to fix the leak. Really? You want to go into my attic, DIRECTLY ABOVE MY BABY DAUGHTER'S BEDROOM and start banging around while she's asleep? I don't think so! Besides the fact that NO ONE said he was coming here to do any work!!! So I told him he could come back later. He said he had some work to do down the street and he would call me back around 10am or so. Not even two minutes after he walked out the door, their head guy (or the company owner) called me griping me out because "my guy told me you refused to give him access to your ducts..." I interrupted him and said "wait a minute... what did he tell you?" He said that I told him the baby was sleeping and I wouldn't let him work... then he goes off on me saying "well you made this appointment and you knew that he was going to be working, blah blah blah" to which I told him that NO ONE told me ANYTHING about him coming out to do ANY kind of work. Home Shield told me he was coming out here to "find out what he has to do to get access." That sounds to me like someone is going to LOOK at what we have and not do any bit of work as of right then and there.
So after HE got rude with me, I hung up on him and IMMEDIATELY called the Home Shield president's office (whom I've been speaking to for the last week) and ripped her a new one (on her voice mail) telling her that THAT company was not welcome at my house anymore because he got rude with me, and that they need to send someone ELSE out to my house to fix this problem....
By the way -- did I ever mention that today is the 30th of July, and I originally put this call in on July FIRST?!?!??!
A month later, we get a bill saying that they never paid. So I called Homecomings and asked why they hadn't paid yet, and they said that sometimes it will take a while and to not worry about it that they would pay for it.
Another month later, we get a cancellation BILL saying our insurance was cancelled for non-payment AND that WE owed $500 for the coverage they gave us. I called Homecomings, and they said that we were never setup for escrow!!! WHY THE HELL NOT??? WE DID OUR PART, WHY DIDN'T YOU DO YOURS?!?!?
PLUS, of all the calls I've had for the last several months, I have gotten absolutely NOWHERE with them, I've been "disconnected" (read "hung up on") countless times because apparently NONE of the idiots that work there know how to use their phones!!! And, the insurance department says I need to talk to customer service. Customer service says I need to talk to Loan Modification. Loan Modification says I need to Loss Mitigation. Loss Mitigation says I need to talk to the insurance department. And I keep going in circles with every single person I talk to there! SO I AM GETTING NOWHERE WITH EVERY SINGLE PHONE CALL!!!!
Now as far as Home Shield goes, I called them out to come fix a leak in our duct work. First off, this is a Fox & Jacobs house (aka a "Fox Box") and they don't have typical a/c ducts. Most houses have what's called "Flex Duct"...but not ours! Ours is called "Duct Board" and it's square, non-flexible duct that's completely enclosed. So 35 years later when the duct work gets leaks, how do you fix it? You can't get to it from the attic because it's built below the joists. You can't get to it from the ceiling because it's above the sheet rock. So the only thing you can do is to cut down the ceiling...this is called "getting access" in Home Shield's terms. Ok, so half the idiots they send out say that Home Shield doesn't cover "making access" that we, the home owner, is supposed to make the access for them ourselves. Well, I have verified with NUMEROUS Home Shield people to know, for a fact, that they will pay whomever to get access. I don't care who it is or how they do it, Home Shield WILL PAY FOR ACCESS!!!
So, now they have sent out FOUR DIFFERENT COMPANIES, all of which say "we don't make access." So Home Shield still hasn't sent out the right company that will make the access. I swear, I'm about to rip down my ceiling myself and then they can put it back.
On top of that, TWO of the four companies have owners that have been EXTREMELY unprofessional or flat-out RUDE. The 2nd company they sent out, no wait... the THIRD company they sent out came out to make a quote for access... They came out over 2 weeks ago on Sunday. He was supposed to call Home Shield with his quote on how much it would cost and when I called him on Wednesday (three days after they came out) he told me it would be Friday. Friday comes around and he hasn't called. I called Home Shield on Monday and they said that he hadn't called them yet. So I called him and he told me "to be honest Mr. Weatherford, I put you on the 'back burner' but I will call them today." EXCUSE ME??? YOU DID WHAT??? I DON'T THINK SO!!!!
I don't care who you are -- YOU NEVER TELL A CUSTOMER YOU "PUT THEM ON THE BACK BURNER" !!!!!! So I called HS and told them DO NOT send that company to my house... they are NOT going to do ANY work on my house EVER.
Ok, well, they didn't seem to care too much, but they sent out yet another company. That other company came out, and yet again, said "we don't do this, we have someone else that makes access." Well, no kidding!!! I told Home Shield NOT to send out another A/C tech because they all tell me the same thing!!! So then this company calls me back and said they are going to send out their lead tech to have him come out and see what needs to be done to make access. Ok, fine. You want to come see what needs to be done? Fine... come out here at 8am and SEE what you need to do.Well, around here, 8am everyone is asleep. So the guy comes out here this morning (trying to come out at 7:30, which is before 8am) and he tries to tell me that he's going to make access and see what needs to be done to fix the leak. Really? You want to go into my attic, DIRECTLY ABOVE MY BABY DAUGHTER'S BEDROOM and start banging around while she's asleep? I don't think so! Besides the fact that NO ONE said he was coming here to do any work!!! So I told him he could come back later. He said he had some work to do down the street and he would call me back around 10am or so. Not even two minutes after he walked out the door, their head guy (or the company owner) called me griping me out because "my guy told me you refused to give him access to your ducts..." I interrupted him and said "wait a minute... what did he tell you?" He said that I told him the baby was sleeping and I wouldn't let him work... then he goes off on me saying "well you made this appointment and you knew that he was going to be working, blah blah blah" to which I told him that NO ONE told me ANYTHING about him coming out to do ANY kind of work. Home Shield told me he was coming out here to "find out what he has to do to get access." That sounds to me like someone is going to LOOK at what we have and not do any bit of work as of right then and there.
So after HE got rude with me, I hung up on him and IMMEDIATELY called the Home Shield president's office (whom I've been speaking to for the last week) and ripped her a new one (on her voice mail) telling her that THAT company was not welcome at my house anymore because he got rude with me, and that they need to send someone ELSE out to my house to fix this problem....
By the way -- did I ever mention that today is the 30th of July, and I originally put this call in on July FIRST?!?!??!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
A small gesture goes a long way
Ok, so this blog should have been written a long time ago, but at least it's being written, right?
Anyway, sometime just before Christmas, we went to Springcreek BBQ. While in line, a soldier behind us asked the people behind the counter if they had a military discount. Well, apparently they didn't. Anyway, when we got to the checkout, the girl at the register was looking at our trays to see what we had so she could ring it up, and I said to her "add his meal to our tab too." He told me thank you but it wasn't necessary, and I told him, "no, thank YOU... for everything you do for us and for our country, it was the least I could do." I had no idea who this guy was other than seeing the stripes on his shoulder and reading his name on his uniform, or what he did in the military....but to me, it makes no difference. He appreciated the gesture and let me buy his dinner. He ate his meal and came by our table before he left, again thanking me and saying how much he appreciated it. He went on to say how many eating establishments will offer police discounts or even free food, but hardly anyone does anything for military personnel. He went on to say "I bet you over 90% of the cops have no idea what it's like to be shot at...we are shot at every day but no one really thinks about that." And to be honest, until he said it, I never thought about that either.
We go through life so fast. We don't always stop and think about our freedom. Sure, we get caught up in politics (some of us more than others) or money or our job or our possessions, but most of us probably don't think about the brave men and women who are either here locally or overseas fighting to keep our country safe. Fighting to keep America free. Freedom may not be free, but I can promise you this -- for that one army sergeant, he really appreciated the free meal he got from a total stranger that unconditionally supports his efforts to protect this great country.
Thank you Sergeant Wong for all you do for us! May God bless you and keep you safe while you protect us!
Anyway, sometime just before Christmas, we went to Springcreek BBQ. While in line, a soldier behind us asked the people behind the counter if they had a military discount. Well, apparently they didn't. Anyway, when we got to the checkout, the girl at the register was looking at our trays to see what we had so she could ring it up, and I said to her "add his meal to our tab too." He told me thank you but it wasn't necessary, and I told him, "no, thank YOU... for everything you do for us and for our country, it was the least I could do." I had no idea who this guy was other than seeing the stripes on his shoulder and reading his name on his uniform, or what he did in the military....but to me, it makes no difference. He appreciated the gesture and let me buy his dinner. He ate his meal and came by our table before he left, again thanking me and saying how much he appreciated it. He went on to say how many eating establishments will offer police discounts or even free food, but hardly anyone does anything for military personnel. He went on to say "I bet you over 90% of the cops have no idea what it's like to be shot at...we are shot at every day but no one really thinks about that." And to be honest, until he said it, I never thought about that either.
We go through life so fast. We don't always stop and think about our freedom. Sure, we get caught up in politics (some of us more than others) or money or our job or our possessions, but most of us probably don't think about the brave men and women who are either here locally or overseas fighting to keep our country safe. Fighting to keep America free. Freedom may not be free, but I can promise you this -- for that one army sergeant, he really appreciated the free meal he got from a total stranger that unconditionally supports his efforts to protect this great country.
Thank you Sergeant Wong for all you do for us! May God bless you and keep you safe while you protect us!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Be rational... think smart... cut-back wisely.
Ok, so I'm gonna shift gears a bit and try to get away from all the political junk. I'm sure most people know by now where I stand on politics. And if you haven't figured it out yet, just ask me. ;-)
We all know how the economy is right now. You can't get on any news sites, turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper without hearing about how bad the economy is. Personally, I think that even without any action by the government, everything would eventually level off and fix itself, but apparently the government thinks it can't. Anyway, so because of all the unnecessary panic, many are losing their jobs, people aren't spending as much as before, companies are losing money and cutting back staff, production, etc. and it's not the greatest financial time right now. So what are we to do? Do we need to panic? No. Do we need to change our lives and pinch every penny we spend? Well, yes and no. It's very simple. We don't need the government to bail us or any company out and we especially don't need to panic. We just need to be rational, think smart and cut-back wisely.
For example, we went out to eat tonight, and I noticed that we used A LOT of napkins. First off, any parent will tell you that before kids, you would use 1-2 napkins (depending on where you went....you'll never use only 1-2 napkins at an all-you-can-eat rib place!) So anyway, the napkins were very thin, 1-ply. They were as bad as public restroom toilet paper! They wouldn't soak up anything, it's virtually impossible to wipe anything off of your hands (or your kids') and using 2-3 at a time was just extremely wasteful! So here I was trying to clean my own hands off and thinking to myself (then saying to Nicole) I wonder if anyone actually thinks about these things. I mean, I'm sure that most restaurants have a catalogue they look at and have let's say at least a dozen different types of napkins they can choose from...and it seems that most places are opting for the cheap, thin 1-ply ones. The cheapest option they can get... so they can get a few thousand cheap napkins for just a few bucks. Sounds good, right? They can get a huge quantity for a tiny price. Ok, so that means that at this particular all-you-can-eat (AYCE) establishment, we literally used close to 30-40 napkins between us and the kids. Myself, Nicole and our two young daughters, but me especially -- I had some VERY messy, juicy ribs and used, I don't know... maybe a dozen or so just for cleaning my hands off only after eating those ribs, much less the rest of dinner!
So again, do they think about that? Do they think that maybe, just maybe if they had thicker napkins, a little more expensive, that people might actually use less quantity than the cheapo ones? I know for me, I could have used A LOT less had they been thicker 1-ply or even the same thickness but 2-ply. So if I could use less and I'm sure others would also use less, then that means they wouldn't run out as fast and wouldn't have to order as many. Not to mention how much less trash they would have.
Same thing goes for things like building a wooden fence. Sure, the 1x4 planks are cheaper than the 1x6 planks, but you use less 1x6's and in many cases, it's actually cheaper to go with the larger ones. See? Be rational...think smart. Think about the END result over a longer period of time rather than the immediate need. If it's better to spend a little extra on the individual items to save money overall, then that's what you should do. Whether you're just one person, or someone that orders things for your company.
And along the same lines of being rational and thinking smart, let's talk quality, dependability and price. I'm sure you've all heard the phrase "you get what you pay for." And in many cases, that's very true. So does that mean you have to buy the most expensive item to get the best quality? No, not necessarily. I'll give you a good example. I was reading a recent article in Consumer Reports about LCD TV's. In their 50" category (or maybe it was 51" and up) their top choice overall was I think $1700 or $1800. Their 2nd choice was close to 5-grand! Third was still under or right at about $2,000. Their prices were all over the place and the most expensive was rarely the best. In fact, even some of the lesser expensive of those they tested were some of the best ones as far as reliability, quality, etc. This same idea goes with just about anything you buy--especially cars, electronics and cookware.
So as far as cutting back wisely goes, think back to the napkins. What do you use now? Would cheaper ones do just as well, or would they make you use more? Women with shoes and purses to match particular outfits -- are they really NECESSARY, or just a want? Wouldn't it be a smarter investment to buy one or two purses / pairs of shoes that will better match multiple outfits? And when it comes to laying people off, let me point this out--Remember how the Dallas ISD laid off several hundred teachers because Michael Hinajosa get paid over $400k a year to do nothing but screw up a budget? Well, did you also know that the DISD recently had a job fair so that they could hire several hundred teachers because they didn't have enough? WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I mean, seriously -- are you that freakin' stupid??? You want to let several hundred teachers go because you can't afford them, and then have a job fair because you don't have enough teachers for all your students? What part of that makes any kin of sense? NONE OF IT! And they wonder why they have budget issues... apparently no one there knows how to think!!! Which is sad, if you think about it, because those people are in charge of EDUCATION!!! I'm glad my children aren't taught by those people!
Anyway, onto more thinking smart. Let's say you need to buy new car. Well, depending on your situation, leasing is almost always a better choice. Nicole, bless her heart, hears it from me all the time how I wish she would consider leasing a car rather than buying one. But I'll save that for another blog, perhaps. Anyway, I'm sure that may of us would love to have a Lexus or Mercedes in our garage, right? Well, first off, it's a well-known fact that cars depreciate. So no matter what car you buy, it'll never be worth what you paid for it. That being said, some cars depreciate faster/more than others. The sad part is, there are some really great cars being made by decent companies that will lose quite a bit of their value unfairly simply because of who they're made by. Hyundai for example. Have you seen their new Genesis? Holy cow that's an absolutely incredible car! They really outdid themselves with that one! But because of their shady past and the crappy cars they made when they first came onto the scene here in America (think your white Excel "turtle car" Ann) the Geneis will never get the full credit it deserves...and because it says "Hyundai" on it, it will depreciate quite a bit faster than if it were to say "Lexus" or "Infinity" or "Mercedes." So does this mean I'm telling you to go out and buy a Genesis? No, but you'd get a really good, quality luxury car for a heckuva lot less than the reigning "luxury" car brands. But do your homework...study everything you can find out about whatever you buy. See what something is really worth, how well it will hold up / how reliable it is, and how well it will keep it's resale value.
Oh, and speaking of that, when you buy a car, you may look at it and think that it's not worth it to get the upgraded aluminum wheel package when wheel covers will be just fine, right? Wrong! First off, wheel cover will break very easily and it's not the same to just to buy new ones and put on the car. Wheel covers look cheap because they are cheap. Aluminum alloy wheel are more expensive, but they hold their value a lot more. They increase the resale value of the car by quite a bit...plus they always look better than plastic wheel covers. Doesn't seem like a big decision when you're buying the car, but you can't exactly change your mind in several years once you try to sell the car. So think smart.
And back to the issue of cutting back wisely (think the DISD conundrum) just remember... it's not how much you cut back, but how you cut back. Think smart--do you really need to cut back on how much you're spending? Do you really need to cut down on the quality? Are you spending more money on higher-quality products and getting better results than if you were spending less on lesser quality and getting poor results? We all know you can get good quality generic / store brand foods in many cases that taste the same (sometimes better--like with saltine crackers for example.) And typically with things like green beans, you'll have a much smaller chance of getting string or stems in a name brand can vs. generic store brand. So it's a matter of trial and error in many cases. You just have to make sure you do your homework...do your research. Just like with the news and politics, don't let people decide for you. Don't let people (including me) tell you what's right and wrong...or good and bad. Do what you need to do in order to make your own INFORMED decision. Do that, and you will have nothing to worry about when it comes to using your money wisely.
We all know how the economy is right now. You can't get on any news sites, turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper without hearing about how bad the economy is. Personally, I think that even without any action by the government, everything would eventually level off and fix itself, but apparently the government thinks it can't. Anyway, so because of all the unnecessary panic, many are losing their jobs, people aren't spending as much as before, companies are losing money and cutting back staff, production, etc. and it's not the greatest financial time right now. So what are we to do? Do we need to panic? No. Do we need to change our lives and pinch every penny we spend? Well, yes and no. It's very simple. We don't need the government to bail us or any company out and we especially don't need to panic. We just need to be rational, think smart and cut-back wisely.
For example, we went out to eat tonight, and I noticed that we used A LOT of napkins. First off, any parent will tell you that before kids, you would use 1-2 napkins (depending on where you went....you'll never use only 1-2 napkins at an all-you-can-eat rib place!) So anyway, the napkins were very thin, 1-ply. They were as bad as public restroom toilet paper! They wouldn't soak up anything, it's virtually impossible to wipe anything off of your hands (or your kids') and using 2-3 at a time was just extremely wasteful! So here I was trying to clean my own hands off and thinking to myself (then saying to Nicole) I wonder if anyone actually thinks about these things. I mean, I'm sure that most restaurants have a catalogue they look at and have let's say at least a dozen different types of napkins they can choose from...and it seems that most places are opting for the cheap, thin 1-ply ones. The cheapest option they can get... so they can get a few thousand cheap napkins for just a few bucks. Sounds good, right? They can get a huge quantity for a tiny price. Ok, so that means that at this particular all-you-can-eat (AYCE) establishment, we literally used close to 30-40 napkins between us and the kids. Myself, Nicole and our two young daughters, but me especially -- I had some VERY messy, juicy ribs and used, I don't know... maybe a dozen or so just for cleaning my hands off only after eating those ribs, much less the rest of dinner!
So again, do they think about that? Do they think that maybe, just maybe if they had thicker napkins, a little more expensive, that people might actually use less quantity than the cheapo ones? I know for me, I could have used A LOT less had they been thicker 1-ply or even the same thickness but 2-ply. So if I could use less and I'm sure others would also use less, then that means they wouldn't run out as fast and wouldn't have to order as many. Not to mention how much less trash they would have.
Same thing goes for things like building a wooden fence. Sure, the 1x4 planks are cheaper than the 1x6 planks, but you use less 1x6's and in many cases, it's actually cheaper to go with the larger ones. See? Be rational...think smart. Think about the END result over a longer period of time rather than the immediate need. If it's better to spend a little extra on the individual items to save money overall, then that's what you should do. Whether you're just one person, or someone that orders things for your company.
And along the same lines of being rational and thinking smart, let's talk quality, dependability and price. I'm sure you've all heard the phrase "you get what you pay for." And in many cases, that's very true. So does that mean you have to buy the most expensive item to get the best quality? No, not necessarily. I'll give you a good example. I was reading a recent article in Consumer Reports about LCD TV's. In their 50" category (or maybe it was 51" and up) their top choice overall was I think $1700 or $1800. Their 2nd choice was close to 5-grand! Third was still under or right at about $2,000. Their prices were all over the place and the most expensive was rarely the best. In fact, even some of the lesser expensive of those they tested were some of the best ones as far as reliability, quality, etc. This same idea goes with just about anything you buy--especially cars, electronics and cookware.
So as far as cutting back wisely goes, think back to the napkins. What do you use now? Would cheaper ones do just as well, or would they make you use more? Women with shoes and purses to match particular outfits -- are they really NECESSARY, or just a want? Wouldn't it be a smarter investment to buy one or two purses / pairs of shoes that will better match multiple outfits? And when it comes to laying people off, let me point this out--Remember how the Dallas ISD laid off several hundred teachers because Michael Hinajosa get paid over $400k a year to do nothing but screw up a budget? Well, did you also know that the DISD recently had a job fair so that they could hire several hundred teachers because they didn't have enough? WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I mean, seriously -- are you that freakin' stupid??? You want to let several hundred teachers go because you can't afford them, and then have a job fair because you don't have enough teachers for all your students? What part of that makes any kin of sense? NONE OF IT! And they wonder why they have budget issues... apparently no one there knows how to think!!! Which is sad, if you think about it, because those people are in charge of EDUCATION!!! I'm glad my children aren't taught by those people!
Anyway, onto more thinking smart. Let's say you need to buy new car. Well, depending on your situation, leasing is almost always a better choice. Nicole, bless her heart, hears it from me all the time how I wish she would consider leasing a car rather than buying one. But I'll save that for another blog, perhaps. Anyway, I'm sure that may of us would love to have a Lexus or Mercedes in our garage, right? Well, first off, it's a well-known fact that cars depreciate. So no matter what car you buy, it'll never be worth what you paid for it. That being said, some cars depreciate faster/more than others. The sad part is, there are some really great cars being made by decent companies that will lose quite a bit of their value unfairly simply because of who they're made by. Hyundai for example. Have you seen their new Genesis? Holy cow that's an absolutely incredible car! They really outdid themselves with that one! But because of their shady past and the crappy cars they made when they first came onto the scene here in America (think your white Excel "turtle car" Ann) the Geneis will never get the full credit it deserves...and because it says "Hyundai" on it, it will depreciate quite a bit faster than if it were to say "Lexus" or "Infinity" or "Mercedes." So does this mean I'm telling you to go out and buy a Genesis? No, but you'd get a really good, quality luxury car for a heckuva lot less than the reigning "luxury" car brands. But do your homework...study everything you can find out about whatever you buy. See what something is really worth, how well it will hold up / how reliable it is, and how well it will keep it's resale value.
Oh, and speaking of that, when you buy a car, you may look at it and think that it's not worth it to get the upgraded aluminum wheel package when wheel covers will be just fine, right? Wrong! First off, wheel cover will break very easily and it's not the same to just to buy new ones and put on the car. Wheel covers look cheap because they are cheap. Aluminum alloy wheel are more expensive, but they hold their value a lot more. They increase the resale value of the car by quite a bit...plus they always look better than plastic wheel covers. Doesn't seem like a big decision when you're buying the car, but you can't exactly change your mind in several years once you try to sell the car. So think smart.
And back to the issue of cutting back wisely (think the DISD conundrum) just remember... it's not how much you cut back, but how you cut back. Think smart--do you really need to cut back on how much you're spending? Do you really need to cut down on the quality? Are you spending more money on higher-quality products and getting better results than if you were spending less on lesser quality and getting poor results? We all know you can get good quality generic / store brand foods in many cases that taste the same (sometimes better--like with saltine crackers for example.) And typically with things like green beans, you'll have a much smaller chance of getting string or stems in a name brand can vs. generic store brand. So it's a matter of trial and error in many cases. You just have to make sure you do your homework...do your research. Just like with the news and politics, don't let people decide for you. Don't let people (including me) tell you what's right and wrong...or good and bad. Do what you need to do in order to make your own INFORMED decision. Do that, and you will have nothing to worry about when it comes to using your money wisely.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Obama already showing his inexperience
You know, I'm not a politician. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most savvy businessman either...nor am I any kind of economic / financial guru by any means. But at the same time, I know inexperience when I see it. And God forbid that Bush actually goes along with this.
Ok, so there's plenty of reports and news articles saying that Obama is asking Bush to give help to the automotive companies. NOWHERE does anyone talk about him doing anything to anyone other than "the Big 3"... well no matter what, you can throw tons of money their direction and yeah, it may help keep them afloat for a short while, but here's something that perhaps they haven't thought of... Who's going to be able to FINANCE those vehicles they're making? NOBODY! What they need to do, is help out financial institutions somehow. No, I'm not saying a "bailout" per se, but what I am saying is to make banks and other financial institutions feel more comfortable in lending money. If the banks won't finance anyone, then 95% of the people out there (by my own guesstimate) will not be able to buy a car. So when no one can buy a car, then that means that all that money the government lends to GM or Ford or Chrysler will only let them make more cars...cars that they won't be able to sell -- which is the problem they're having right now! No one's buying because no one can buy. So if they can somehow help out the financial institutions then that will not only help the auto industry, but it will help all the credit markets too... which in turn will help people to be able to buy things they need. Plus, this will help everyone because small businesses will get their credit lines back, which means they will be able to buy supplies and pay employees to make their widgets, which means they will have more jobs and more jobs mean that people will be able to buy the different companies' widgets. So to me, logically, it seems that since it's money that makes the world go 'round, and money is frozen right now, then figure out a way to loosen the money / credit, get it flowing again, and EVERYONE (people and businesses) will benefit.
I mean, am I completely off my rocker here, or does anyone else have a better answer?
Ok, so there's plenty of reports and news articles saying that Obama is asking Bush to give help to the automotive companies. NOWHERE does anyone talk about him doing anything to anyone other than "the Big 3"... well no matter what, you can throw tons of money their direction and yeah, it may help keep them afloat for a short while, but here's something that perhaps they haven't thought of... Who's going to be able to FINANCE those vehicles they're making? NOBODY! What they need to do, is help out financial institutions somehow. No, I'm not saying a "bailout" per se, but what I am saying is to make banks and other financial institutions feel more comfortable in lending money. If the banks won't finance anyone, then 95% of the people out there (by my own guesstimate) will not be able to buy a car. So when no one can buy a car, then that means that all that money the government lends to GM or Ford or Chrysler will only let them make more cars...cars that they won't be able to sell -- which is the problem they're having right now! No one's buying because no one can buy. So if they can somehow help out the financial institutions then that will not only help the auto industry, but it will help all the credit markets too... which in turn will help people to be able to buy things they need. Plus, this will help everyone because small businesses will get their credit lines back, which means they will be able to buy supplies and pay employees to make their widgets, which means they will have more jobs and more jobs mean that people will be able to buy the different companies' widgets. So to me, logically, it seems that since it's money that makes the world go 'round, and money is frozen right now, then figure out a way to loosen the money / credit, get it flowing again, and EVERYONE (people and businesses) will benefit.
I mean, am I completely off my rocker here, or does anyone else have a better answer?
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